Double the Distance: Progressing From Half to Full IRONMAN

TriDot Podcast Episode 303

Double the Distance: Progressing From Half to Full IRONMAN

Vanessa Ronksley: Welcome to the TriDot Podcast. We've got a super valuable conversation planned for today. I am joined by two coaches and two athletes and we will talk about how to level up from racing a 70.3 to a 140.6. Coaches Kurt Madden and Louise Strydum will offer their coaching advice and athletes Heather Yun and Jaco Fourie will share their experience as athletes. Hopefully this chat will help you when the time comes to double your race distance. I'm Vanessa, your average triathlete with elite level enthusiasm. As always. We'll start with our warm up question, settle into our main set conversation and then wind things down by having our coaches answer an audience question on the cooldown. Lots of good stuff. Let's get to it.

Announcer: This is the TriDot Podcast, the triathlon show that brings you world class coaching with every conversation. Let's get started with today's warmup.

Warm Up

Vanessa Ronksley: I am a sucker for surprises. I love them so much because someone has gone out of their way to do something special for you and they have put thought into it without you having a clue or being a part of the planning process. And then when you receive the surprise, it's like this massive rush of amazing energy and I just love that feeling so much. So what I want to know for our warm up question today is what is the biggest surprise you have experienced during one of your races? Let's start with our friends from South Africa. Louise, let's go to you first.

Louise Strydom: Okay. So the biggest surprise that I've had during a race was at Patagon. So just like Norseman, you get on a ferry, they transport you to the middle of the field and you have to jump. And I never thought I would willingly jump off a ferry into these ice cold fjord waters. I had the worst anxiety of standing there just like, how am I, how am I supposed to do this? And another athlete just grabbed my hand out of nowhere. She had no idea who I was, I had no idea how she was. And she's like, don't think, just jump. And she got me in the water with even knowing who I am. And I don't think I would have really start, I probably would have started the race but she gave me that extra little hey, I've got your back, don't worry. That type of feeling. So. And she got me in the water.

Vanessa Ronksley: That's incredible. I'm gonna start crying. That is so special. I love those little things that happen at races. It just makes the experience so much more impactful and memorable. Thank you so much for sharing that. Jaco how about you? What's. What's your favorite race surprise that you've, that you've had?

Jaco Fourie: I, I always, I've got to try and get myself to not start off running too fast after my bike coach Louise knows it's a thing of mine and I'm not sure who prepped who, but I remember the one race I was just coming out of transition and two or three people shouted at me, don't run too fast. And it was so great to have these people that actually don't know anything about my racing strategy to give me some advice from the side.

Vanessa Ronksley: know what? I think that's a pretty typical thing that a lot of athletes do is run too fast off the bike. So that's awesome that you got that encouragement from the sideline. Heather, I. I know not everybody loves surprises, but I'm not sure. How do you feel? Are you like a yay or nay to surprises type girl?

Heather Yun: love good surprises. Actually. When I thought of your question first, I started thinking of all the nasty surprises. And I just want to categorically reject the upside down cement truck over the median in the bike lane or whatever. But the best positive surprise, I think was in T2 at IRONMAN, Arizona a couple of years ago. You know, there's usually a volunteer with sunscreen at these events, but this volunteer was combining sunscreen with neck massages. And so she asked permission and then gave me this gorgeous massage with sunscreen that was like this moment of just ecstasy and bliss in the middle of what otherwise involved plenty of physical suffering that day. And I mean, it might have been the best massage I've ever had, if I'm honest.

Vanessa Ronksley: I think I need to up my sunscreen game because I've, I've been that sunscreen deliverer before and it is not like the most glamorous job. So the fact that she turned it into something wonderful is quite amazing. Kurt, you've raced like a million times, so you must have had so many surprises to choose from. So what's the most memorable one for you?

Kurt Madden: We're going to go back to October 2024. Epic Day in Kona. I'm ready to go. I'm dialed in. I'm checking all the boxes. Let's just have a good day in the lava fields. Good day on the water, good day on the run. Boom. 150 yards into it. I get T boned by, I think, more than one jellyfish. My forehead goes numb, my body goes numb. I start freaking out. Like, just calm down. I somehow Got out of the water, got on the bike. Bike went relatively well, that I knew for sure. When I got off that bike, this was going to be a miserable run again. Miserable run. However, you just endure. You just kick one step at a time. I was pleasantly surprised. At about mile 16, one of my athletes, John Roentgen, who is about a 3:14 marathoner at Boston, rolls up on me and he says, coach, I'm going to run and shuffle the last 10 miles with you. And I said, John, are you sure about that? He said, absolutely, we are going to do this together. He gave himself up for me, and I think we solved the world's problems the last 10 miles. You know, just going through out to the energy lab and back. But to go down Alii Drive with one of your athletes to cross process that finish line together, oh, my gosh, it just truly touched my heart. That was a really, really, really special surprise.

Vanessa Ronksley: The bond that exists between a coach and an athlete is so incredible. And the fact that your athlete did that for you is just, it's an amazing experience. Thank you so much for sharing that, that surprise story with us. I know for me, there's so many ones to choose from, two of which happened in Nice, and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned them on the pod before. So I'm going with the most recent race surprise from 70 point, my 70.3 in Victoria last month. And I was coming up on the end of the first loop around the lake, and there was a large crowd of spectators at that final corner. And I was just cruising along, thinking about my pacing strategy for that second loop, when I heard someone call out my name. And I looked up and there were two of my friends who actually started out as my athletes from years ago, and they had their sweet little baby who's not even a year old. And I probably hadn't seen these people for like seven months, and I had zero clue that they were going to be there. And I practically leapt out of the air with massive amounts of excitement. And I started waving my hands like crazy because I had to expel this rush of energy somehow that I received from being so surprised. And the absolute best part of the whole experience is that at the exact moment when I saw who had called out my name, someone snapped a photo of my facial expression. And I think it's probably, probably the funniest picture I have ever seen of myself. It's like if someone were to ask an actor or someone to show their most shock, surprise facial expression and then add a Little bit of elite level enthusiasm into that. That's what this picture is. It's so hilarious. I laugh every time I see it. It's absolutely priceless. As always, we are throwing this question out to our amazing listeners. So if you're watching us on Spotify or YouTube, you can leave a comment letting us know your answer to the warm up question. And you can also find it on Instagram and in our TriDot Community Hub so you can tell us about your favorite race surprise. And I can hardly wait to read them and connect with our listeners.

Announcer: Let's go.

Main Set

Vanessa Ronksley: We are talking about going from a half to a full distance race here today. So oftentimes we. When an athlete commits to doing a full distance try with. I mean, like, honestly, everyone wants to become an IRONMAN at some point. There is this defining moment from one second to the next where that decision is like a split second decision is made. Can you take us back to that moment for you and. And set the whole scene? So Heather, what, what was your moment when you decided to do your first full.

Heather Yun: Sure. I mean, like you said, Vanessa, I think it's tough to be in triathlon for very long without it at least crossing your mind. And actually my very first encounter with anything related to IRONMAN involved South Africa because I was a kid and my dad was watching TV and I saw this race on television and I had no idea what IRONMAN was and the commentators explaining this and I was just like, that's not possible. Like, a, this is not possible and b, why would anyone do this? Like, this seems so dumb. Even if you could do this, why would you do it? I kind of imprinted on that and I carried it with me for decades and then started doing tries. But it was about new year in 2020 and you know, I'd done a bunch of 70.3s, I'd done a lot of conference and some Olympics and you know, just that that email, you know, Iron man sends these emails to your inbox of like, hey, only so many slots remaining of whatever race is coming up. And I saw it sitting there in my inbox and it was like, okay, I'm gonna do this. Like, I'm gonna do IRONMAN Texas. And it, it felt impulsive at the moment. And of course I had to ask my husband and be like, hey, would you divorce me if I did this? Like, this is double standard stupid and I don't have time and. But something about me feels like I need this in my life. And part of it, I had sort of a premonition and it sounds weird, but that I was going to need the extra resilience I was going to need as I was putting it to myself, suffering practice. I didn't know why and it sounded kind of ominous to me that I was going to need suffering practice. But then as we got going into 2020, it became obvious to me. So anyway, that was the moment I signed up for IRONMAN Texas around the beginning of the year in 2020.

Vanessa Ronksley: I love that story so much about how you saw it on TV as a kid and thought everyone was crazy. And I, I remember like even for myself when I heard of the first person that I knew of doing a triathlon, she told me about an Olympic distance race and I thought that was crazy. Like an Olympic. I was like, that's nuts.

Heather Yun: Like, are you sure you can do that?

Vanessa Ronksley: Like you're training for this, you're a rock star. And then to think that there's something that's like four times that, you know, is just, it's incredible. Jaco, how about for you? What, what was that moment like when you first decided to do a full distance IRONMAN?

Jaco Fourie: Mine was more of a journey than an actual moment. As such, I, I got into triathlon simply because I was bored in the gym and I heard of this thing called the triathlon. I'd never heard of IRONMAN before. And I knew these people were swimming and biking and running and I thought, well, I can swim pretty well. I'm sure I can learn how to bike and run. Anyone can do. And I entered a. Just a sprint triathlon and I trained myself for a couple of weeks and I did this race and I almost died. I had my whole family there wanting to take me to the doctor because I was half dead. And anyway, I let the. I just got hooked from that small little race and then I decided, no, I need a little bit more of a challenge. And I entered an Olympic distance and I did a couple of Olympic races and then I wanted to, you know, to restore. I'm sure I can do double this. It wouldn't be too difficult. And entered a 70.3 distance and did relatively okay. And I thought nothing, nothing more of it. Time went by. I met coach Louise and decided to sign up with her to try and get a little bit better at this half Iron man distance. And then I did a number of Iron man, half IRONMANs. Never contemplated doing a full. I didn't think honestly I was capable of actually doing it. And the one year a couple of athletes were training for the IRONMAN the following year and I watched, watched them do it and you know, observed some of their training. And I think I kind of was thinking about this could be possible. I spoke to Louise and I said to do, do you think I could actually do this? Which was my main questions. She didn't hesitate and said, absolutely you could. And my next concern was the training involved to get from half to full. That was very scary for me. And then she explained to me that, you know, 70.3 training is very similar. It's only those last two or three months. She tried to be very diplomatic about.

Louise Strydom: It, of course, sounds about right, downplayed.

Jaco Fourie: It, but it's only, only the last few weeks is really bad. And then I was sitting at home also the one evening similar to Heather, this email came through because, you know, I've now entered a couple of IRONMAN before or off IRONMAN. And so I am, I'm on the mailing list. And the smile came through and I said to my wife, do you think I could do this? And she said, yes, of course you can. And I said, well, have you, have you got my back? And she said, yes, absolutely, do it And I, I ended just there and then and yeah, the rest is history.

Vanessa Ronksley: That's wonderful. I thank you for sharing that. These moments are very special. But I think my favorite thing that you said is that you got hooked into triathlon after you were half dead in a sprint. That's so awesome. I think that happens to every single one of us. Like there's we, we do one finish line and then all of a sudden you get hooked, regardless of how difficult that situation might have been. Now we have brought our coaches on here to give us coaching tips. So I want to hear from Coach Kurt and Coach Louise. I think once an athlete has flipped that switch like it happened for pretty much all of us and made that decision, it's kind of exciting. After that flip, that switch is flipped. And then soon after that there's a little bit of drop in energy and you think to yourself, now what? Now what do I do? How do I get started? So let's hear about some tips that you would give people who have just made the decision to do an IRONMAN. Kurt, let's, let's start with you for this one. What are your two tips for athletes who have just signed up and made that decision to do the full.

Kurt Madden: Yeah, I'm going to maybe tweak it a little bit. I'm going to say this when you're in the decision making process, in other words, you haven't made the final decision. There's probably a couple things that you really want to think about. And I think what I have learned from myself and working with coaches and athletes, it is called full disclosure. Really, really, really bounce it off your thought partner, bounce it off your employer, bounce it off your family. Really put all your cards on the table. This is what I'm thinking about as compared to, you'll never believe what I just did. That is not a good scenario, because you're already behind the eight ball, and you've got to be very realistic to say, I know my why, I know my purpose. I know what I want to do. But before you do that, it's really important to put everything out there, because once you do commit, there's no turning back. You really have to go and just understand the journey can get a little bit bumpy. So that's the first thing. The second thing, I think it's real important to say that I probably want to enjoy this experience, in other words, the final product, and be able to execute. So you really have to pay your tuition. And what I mean by that is you have to be very realistic to really say, I know what that's going to mean as far as my time, my resources, my discipline, everything that I'm going to have to give up. Because I think when you do that, it's going to be something that's going to resonate very well with you. It's going to resonate with those around you, because you don't want to get into a scenario where you're in that damage control. You're feeling guilty, you're already doubting yourself. It's really rough versus I know what I need to do. And then also just take intervals to say, how are we doing on this? I think it's real important to take stock, try not to have those blind spots along the way, because if you do have blind spots, it's going to come back and haunt you. And then something could come up literally within two to three weeks before the event that'll blow up. Then you're like, oh, my gosh, I missed an opportunity to do a little bit better with my communication and pay my tuition.

Vanessa Ronksley: How about you, Louise? What. What advice do you have to offer to someone who's about to take that plunge?

Louise Strydom: So I completely agree with Coach Kurt. It's. It's all in the planning. You have to have that support system because there is a lot of sacrifices that you might not be aware of. You are going to cut back on you Know, maybe a family vacation, dinner with friends, weekends away because you have to put in the time to do the race and to do the training for the race. And so my first tip would be, once you are all in, you've now decided this is going to be your A race. You know, work back from your A race to where you currently are. What do you need, what do you need to do? Add some smaller races to fine tune your racing skills. And then if you get stuck with anything race related, reach out to a coach or an experienced athlete or an athlete community to help you with planning. Especially if it's your first race and it doesn't have to be a physical, a physical community, it can be an online community as well. There's so many support pages. First time athletes can reach out to, to say, listen, this is the first race that I'm doing, you know, what are the things that I need to, to look out for? And then the second tip, it sounds very frivolous. It's the, the really nice word to use, but it's like, book your accommodation. So if it's your first time doing a full distance race, it's very stressful. You get so caught up in what's happening in race weekend and preparing and you want to be as relaxed as possible. So as soon as you've hit enter and you know that payment has gone off, book your accommodation. Because you want that weekend to be as, as relaxing as possible, which is, it's really hard. I mean, if you wait too long, you might have to stay an hour away, which means you have to get up earlier, you have less sleep, you have to commute, you have to worry about am I going to leave early enough, am I going to be able to find parking? So all of those things, it's mentally exhausting during race weekend to have to navigate all of that. You book your accommodation early, you get close to the race venue and you barely have to, you barely have to drive anywhere. You can sleep an hour longer, you are closer to the finish line, meaning you don't have to walk that far on a very, very, very, very sore body. So, yeah, just to make things easier for yourself, book accommodation.

Vanessa Ronksley: Love it. I love it. So now the athlete has talked to their support network, they've booked their accommodation and travel and now we move into like the planning phase. So Heather, what was the journey like for you? Making that jump from a shorter race to a longer one in terms of the planning and the training?

Heather Yun: Yeah. So as I mentioned, my journey with this started at the very beginning of 2020. So my pathway to my first race was anything but straightforward. Complicating things was that I developed a stress fracture of my right hip after only about six weeks training, actually. And this was at the same time that Covid was kind of barreling down on the world. And in my position, I was really running the COVID response for our healthcare system. And so I was injured, I was on crutches, I didn't recover, and I had to have surgery. Then I spent three months on crutches post op, and by now, you know, all the races had been canceled. I had already deferred IRONMAN Texas because I knew I was going to be able to race as soon as I got injured. But it was a long time really, before I even was sure I would ever run again. But much less actually running again, much less training with any kind of real goal orientation. And I engaged with coach Kurt in the spring of 2021 because I was better enough, I was running again that it was like, okay, I probably can get back to racing. Can I really do an IRONMAN? Because I had signed up for IRONMAN Arizona in 2021 when I deferred that original race, and I just didn't even know if it was possible. I got injured again the following summer, getting ready to do my first 70.3 back out the gate. The other hip started have the same issue, but I caught it quickly. So we worked together, we adjusted my training a lot on the running side for that I was avoiding injury and really I relied on his expertise a lot and, and frankly, his borrowed confidence of like, you know, we're gonna. We can probably do this, but we're gonna be promised to be truthful with me really, about how it was going and it wasn't gonna happen. And if it wasn't gonna happen safely, you know, we were going to have that conversation. So anyway, the training was circuitous and a little bit altered because of the running situation. But, you know, ultimately going into that first IRONMAN, you know, we had the swim volume, we had the cycling volume, and we had a little bit of a modified running plan to get me there so that by the time I for the race, it, you know, I could rely on his judgment and be like, okay, the hay is in the barn. We're ready and we're in a good position to get this done.

Vanessa Ronksley: sounds like it was quite the long process from getting to point A to point B in terms of you realizing your goal. Jaco, how about you? What was that like in the planning phase of your first full distance IRONMAN.

Jaco Fourie: I was very fortunate to be in the position that I am working for myself that I was able to manage my time quite easily around my training which I think helped a hell of a lot because I'm a little bit OCD when it comes to doing what I'm supposed to do and if I've got to run for an hour then I really want to run for an hour. So I think that made the transition for me a lot easier. I found the, the weekday sessions quite easy to manage for from a 70.3 up to the full distance training plan. The weekends were a challenge but because I had my, my family and my friends as buy in everyone understood and everyone you know expected me to be away Saturday the whole day and went on back on with it when it got to the longer training sessions. So I, I, I found the, the lead up and the training into the action event relatively stress free and easy and when those days came that I that I couldn't get to something or the weather was bad stop stopping some kind of training session. Louise was always very relaxed about now we got this we'll change this year we'll change that there. And I think that also taught me the importance of having. Having someone that understands your environment and also being able to change things. When I I've seen other people follow programs that are simply just on paper and no one, no coach to really bounce things off or, or have the flexibility in a program. I see them get nervous and get anxious and I am lucky I didn't have any of that. And I also found that I compartmentalize a lot of my training. I just focus on the one thing at hand and when I'm really something I learned right in the beginning when I started triathlon you really don't feel like something always made myself as promised that just, just start just pitch up. Then if you honestly don't feel like being the session then you stop. But I mean that never happens. Once you start you do it and you finish them.

I found that for the full training for a full quite helpful they just get to the session don't look at what's actually expected of you until you're there and you start and then you get it done. That that helped me a lot. The biggest challenge for me with the long days but you know once, once you get, once you get into them I find them a lot easier as well. Where whereas before you used to think a session a three hour session is long later it becomes the shorter one. And that mindset, you've just got to change it. And it's easy actually, if you have the support.

Vanessa Ronksley: I'm in the middle of my, my race prep phase right now and, and it's. You're so right. Like when you say to yourself you're doing this six hour plus ride and then a run afterwards, and then the following week you get really excited because you only have three and a half hours. That sounds so awesome. But like previous self, when I was just training for 70.3, like that the three and a half hour ride may not have ever even existed, but now it's like this small, tiny little thing that you could accomplish. And I just love that concept so much that when you push yourself beyond what you think you're capable of and then you pull back and look at how far you've actually come and what now you think is easy didn't used to be so easy. And it just, it, it's a really wonderful metaphor for everything that happens in our lives. So Louise, what are some of the things that you talk to your athletes about when they say that they want to come and do a full.

Louise Strydom: Okay, so if an athlete comes to me and say I want to take that leap from 70.3 to full distance, the first thing we chat about is you need to be aware that there is going to, there's going to be a mind shift that you need to make. I, I can't make it for you. I can prepare you for it. But there's definitely a difference between short course racing, which is fast and furious, and your long course, which is slower. So you are going to spend so much time in zone two during training and even during racing. So prepare your mind for this. Sessions are going to feel boring, especially after training for shorter courses where the intensity is much higher. But use that time that you spend in zone to build your grit, build your determination, learn to occupy your mind. Because the key to long course racing is to, to be able to stay in that zone. Because remember, it's swim, bike and run, it's not swim, bike and walk. As coach Kurt told me many, many times, it's not swim, bike and walk. So use that time, keep your eye on the prize. And the second thing is you need to start prioritizing recovery. So if you are investing in a full distance race, you need to invest in your recovery. And by that I mean you need to look at anything from what is your nutrition like, what is your diet like? What foods do you need to take in to assist your body in recovering. So the training load is so much higher, your body is going to need the recovery. If that means seeing a massage therapist twice a month, or physiotherapist, or working on your strength and conditioning, that is going to help prepare your body. You need to keep your muscles happy. So prioritizing recovery is definitely with any race it's important. But for long distance or long course racing, I feel that prioritizing recovery is really important to, to keep you on track and to keep your body healthy and happy until you finish your race.

Vanessa Ronksley: I think I've heard these words before, recovery, recovery, recovery. And for some reason, this is something that just doesn't sink in for most folks until it's too late and they end up with a niggle or an injury or they have to slow down or they have to stop part of their training to get in some form of treatment because they didn't take care of that recovery. So everyone listen to coach Louise here. She's giving you the good stuff. Kurt, what, what are the most important things to think about when you go from a, a shorter race to a, a longer one?

Kurt Madden: Yes, I think this is, this is a really important question. For people that are maybe not working with a coach and for people who are working with a coach, I think they're going to get it too. What I find really is that when you look at 70.3, it is challenging. However, as I look at it from a high level and still participating, that a 70.3 is more of a physical event because it is shorter. It might range from five to say eight hours. When you start to shift to something that's going to go 12 all the way to 16 hours, it is really, you're developing your mind. It's mindset, which we've already talked about, but it's that mental toughness, that mental stamina. It's really your emotional intelligence, for lack of a better term. So as I'm working with athletes, I pretty much know which ones, I think based on just what I have seen, who are going to transition very easily and quickly. At the same time, I have an athlete that is very impulsive and they're flipping the switch all the time and they get very upset and emotionally they're not very stable. I try to guide them a little bit to say, let's think this one through a little bit more because really when your mind and body is working together in harmony, it is really going to be a much better experience for training and for racing. And really, I think when you look at a full when you ask the person, once they're done, was that more physical or mental? I think from a beginner all the way to the world class, the pros, they'll say it was mostly mental. So know you're training your mind. The second part, which Luis has already touched on, when you look at a 15 week training block, it's easy on paper to say, quote, I'm only training 15 hours a week. But then you've got to start figuring out all the other things that are, oh, wait a minute, I need to drive to the pool, I need to drive to the gym, I need to drive back home. Oh, we have a group ride. Oh, that was going to be a five hour ride, but someone flattened and that turned into an eight hour day. And wait a minute, my laundry and my groceries and my meal prep, oh, wait a minute, I need another half an hour to an hour of sleep because I fall asleep on the couch at 7:00 and oh, wait a minute, I think I should probably get a massage. So there's a lot of things you start throwing into the equation that you need to account for. And I think like Louise said, if you start to cut corners, oh, I don't need the extra recovery. Oh, I don't need this, I don't need that. You're going to find out that it's really something that you didn't plan for. So know the entire big picture, Be a little conservative. As you look at that training block.

Vanessa Ronksley: We often underestimate how much time it's going to take and when we look like so many people have asked after you do an IRONMAN, are you sure that you've done an IRONMAN? Like how many hours a week do you train? And it's like, well, yeah, I train like, you know, Maybe up to 14 hours a week. But that's not all, that's not all that it takes because there's all of those things. Like you mentioned, Kurt, there's so many other things I find just the food prep alone, like the night before your long rides, I'm spending like an hour calculating all of the things and making sure that it's all laid out. And so that's an extra hour that you have. And this is part of bringing back to that communication piece with your support crew, letting them know these sorts of things, like they might want to know how long your training hours are. And that's fine for them to know that, but these other little pieces of time that you're going to have to invest make a big difference in terms of what your week is looking like. And, and it just, it's a lot of time, it's a lot of work and it's not something to, to allow for that, to deter you from doing it. But just know in advance that it's going to be taking up a large portion of your time as you progress and get a lot closer to race day. So we're going to move on to my favorite part here, which is race stories. I am a huge sucker for race stories. I love hearing about experiences because there's something so special about each person's unique journey. And every single race day story becomes part of triathlon history. So, Jaco, let's go to you first. Can you share your story, your race story from your first full distance race? Like, what was the lead up to race? Like, how did the race go and then how you felt when you crossed that finish line?

Jaco Fourie: To be honest with you, it was, it's all a bit of a blur. It is, it was so, it was so exciting, the race itself, but I was extremely nervous before the race, but everything was planned and in place. We were staying very close to the venue. Louise made sure that that was booked right there. Everything was taken care of as far as preparation was concerned. And I was very at ease as far as that was concerned, both the support side and the training that went in. And she kept on reminding me, you've done the training, everything, you just need to now pitch up and do the race. And I managed to get some sleep the night before, woke up the next morning and again decided just to look at this in the compartments, as I did with all the training sessions. I knew I could easily swim the distance, no problem. I knew I could easily bike the distance. I'd done it before and I have, I have run more than a double marathon before. So I, I was quite confident that I could do these things. I just need to put them all together now and my race itself. The swim felt like it was over. In, in, in the wink of an eye, got out, started the bike and about 5 to 10 k's into the bike thought, this is, this is going to be a long day. My heart was racing. I had to calm myself down and just say to myself, just take it easy, get, get into the zone and just get on with it. And the rest of the bike went very well. I didn't have any problems. I did, I managed to get all the nutrition I wanted. The last 20km of my bike was very, mentally very challenging for me. I had to, I had to dig Deep. I had to talk to myself a lot. And then when I, when I saw again the bike was over and then we just had the question of a little marathon to run. That's what I kept on saying to myself, small little run in the park there. Luckily, the event that I did in, in Port Elizabeth, the support on the race itself, especially with a run is really, really one of the best I, I've seen the people really pick you up and, and that helped me a lot. I was, I was suffering, I'm sure as you all know into the run it was again started to foster in but I, I managed to slow myself down and, and just counted lap. It's a four lap course. So I went through the only three more, only two more, only one more in my mind and managed to get through it. And then when I took that turn and saw that red carpet, I just, I got the chills and that, that feeling, I don't think I'll ever forget that feeling running over that, that finish line. It was, it was quite cold that day when, when I finished and I didn't even feel the cold because I was so excited. And then it took me quite a while to actually realize that you need to get something warm in your body. But I was the, the race, I didn't have any specific issues that I had to deal with. Luckily, just my mind. The challenge was the biggest, the biggest thing getting as, as coach Kurt said, your mind, your mindset has got to be strong and, and that's where you, that's where you finish or not in the race.

Vanessa Ronksley: Thank you so much for sharing that. That was, that's beautiful. Everything that you went through in terms of your mindset and having to, to talk to yourself to make sure that you were getting through those dark times. And it's true, like everyone experiences those dark times on the race course. It's inevitable. And it just goes to show how much strength that it takes mentally to get through this long of a day. And I think ultimately that is what makes that red carpet so special, is that it's a struggle to get there. And then when you finally do, it's like, oh, this eruption of emotion on so many different levels. Heather, what was your first full distance tri? Like, tell us about the before, the during, the after.

Heather Yun: I think a similar story. In a lot of ways it was a special venue because when I signed up for it, it was just kind of a random pick of timeline and when I thought I might be ready. But my son, actually my oldest son, ended up going to college in the same town that IRONMAN Arizona was, and it was his first year. So it was a chance for us as a family to go and visit him at the same time and see his world and meet his friends and brought all my kids and they all had this Iron man squadron shirt on that my husband had designed. So it was really special having the family there, you know, the. The day of the race. And I always have this, like, standing there in my wetsuit in the dark, looking at this lake. And these buoys are so far away you can't even see. It's just chaos. Everyone is standing there in their wetsuits like a bunch of animals. You know, it's like, what are we doing here? Like, this is double stupid. No one should do this. You know, and how can anyone do this? And I go back to the initial response that I had of like, no one can do this. I can't do this. That's suspension of disbelief. And then you have to go back to that borrowed confidence of like, no, you can. You. Like, your coach is Kurt Madden, right? Like, he's the greatest of all time and he's not insane and he's not going to lie to you. So if he told you you're ready, like, if you don't feel ready, that's fine, but actually he. So just go ahead and put your big girl goggles on and get in the water and start swimming. And so the swim is fine. Like, the swim is the swim. The sun comes up, there's some beauty there. And then eventually you get kind of bored and you're like, how much longer am I going to keep swimming? And that's when you have to remember, like, this is the most comfortable you're ever going to be all day. Okay, so let's dial back into, like, joy and finding joy and being where we are. You know, the swim was perfect. The bike. The bike was the part that I was the most nervous about just because it's so long and I'm really not that strong in that. Didn't have that much experience on the bike, but, you know, you get through it and. And just like Jaco is saying, like, it's this dance of, like, conversations that I have to have with myself and conversations that I don't have to have with myself. Like, I don't have to go to every fight that I'm invited to with anyone, much less with my own. When I start saying stupid things to myself early on, I can be like, we're not having this discussion. Like, we're Just pedaling and we're just. Do I need a drink right now? Go ahead and have that little drink or whatever. Like, look at the cactus. Like, think of lyrics. That's what I do. Like, bored. Okay, let's just start right into Act 1 and see how many hours we can do. Well, still can't do math and the brain fog is happening and all of that. So one way or the other, you know, the power meter dies, you get hot feet, you have to stop for a little while, whatever. Like, these things happen eventually. Like, eventually handed off the bike to the volunteer in T2. And now, like, I'm finish this race because I made it to the start line. Now all I've got to do is this little run. It's no big deal. It's just a little run. The lies we tell ourselves. Look, you know, you just pace yourself. But when you get to mile 16, that's when the race is going to start for you because you're a good runner and you just keep running. You're not going to walk because that's not. It's not swim, bike, walk, swim, bike, run. So, you know, IRONMAN, Arizona, the venue there. You go around the lake three times and every time you do it, you can hear the finish line ruckus and then you pass it by for the second loop or the third loop or whatever. So running around the lake for the third time now, that's 20 miles in or something like that. And hear Mike Reilly’s voice booming from across the lake. And I'm like, okay, I'm going to quit hearing it now to go around the last leg of the lake. And then when I hear it again, it's going to be for me, you know, So I get closer to the finish line and it's dark again finally, or getting dark. And somebody from my local tri club was there and spotted me and she's running down the sidewalk screaming, flip flops on, you know, go, Heather. Go Heather. And then it's the red carpet and yeah, it's like Jakub is saying, it's just chills. It's a lot of emotion. I can't believe this happened. I can't believe I could do this also. Thank God I can finally stop running, you know, has somebody catch me, please? I did feel the cold. I get. I get cold right away when I finish racing. And I think the best thing I've ever eaten was that cup of hot chicken broth that they had kind of waiting for me to have content, but just being able to see my Family and then joy on their faces really too. Right. Like they're invested by this time. It's not like they haven't sacrificed too by giving up their mom every Saturday for what feels like forever. And they worry about you. You know, they're worried about you all day. Like, are you doing okay? How are you going to be sick? Are you going to hurt? And watching you cross the finish line with a smile on your face is huge for them too. So yeah, it was a great day.

Vanessa Ronksley: Such a wonderful experience that you had. Thank you so much for sharing. Coach Louise, what are the most important tips that you give to your athletes when they're about to take on their first IRONMAN?

Louise Strydom: Two things that's really, that I think is really important, especially first timers. Avoid getting caught up in the trends and advice from athletes. During race weekend. You are going to be overwhelmed with whatever is happening at the Expo, conversations with athletes, because basically wherever you're racing, the whole town is. It's just athletes. And it's so easy because it's your first time you hearing this person is saying this, this person is doing this type of nutrition and getting caught up in that can really ruin your race. So there's this, this mantra, nothing new on race day. Nothing new on race day. It's, it's true. You don't try anything new on race day. So you are going to be swamped from advice from everyone and everyone so that the biggest thing is stick to your plan, stick to what you know, stick to what you have practiced and don't change anything just because another athlete said, you know, this works better if you are, you are used to running in normal socks. That's what you are going to race in. Don't go and buy something at the Expo because this may, it's going to make your feet feel good and it's going to let air flow through. Stick with what you know. So it's really easy to get caught up. So first timers really, really be careful about what, who you listen to during race weekend. And then the last one, it's more a little bit of a, I wouldn't say a superstition that I have, but it's respect your chosen race. You are taking on a journey to become part of a very small percentage of athletes that attempts a full distance. Leave your ego in the parking area. It's actually much better to just leave your ego in your home, in your hometown because nothing humbles you like a race that throws everything it could possibly throw at you. So weather conditions, ocean conditions, if it's an ocean swim that's just not perfect for swimming mechanicals on the bike. So I always feel that if you respect the race and you have this, this feeling of, I'm, I'm so honored to be able to do this, then the chances are of your race going really well, it's pretty good. Instead of, you know, I'm gonna smash this and you know, kind of that ego feeling that some athletes do have. So I'm, I'm really, from that perspective, respect the journey and respect the race because then it'll treat you, it'll treat you really well.

Vanessa Ronksley: I love that. And I think that's really important to remember is that it's a long day out there. There are things that are out of your control that are going to happen and it ultimately becomes how good of a problem solver are you going to be on that day with that specific issue that pops up? And so being able to understand that this is going to be part of your journey and it's going to make for really good stories when you finish. That's something that's important to remember and to leave that ego right where you came from. Coach Kurt, what do you share with your athletes for the first time doing a full distance IRONMAN?

Kurt Madden: Yeah, I mean, this is just a great question and really what I try to do is kind of their guide or their coach and sounding board is to really do your best to enjoy every single moment because it's a life changing endeavor and if you break it down, it's somewhat simple. You're going to swim, bike and run. Really as babies we were kind of doing that as kids. We were in little pool, splashing, we were riding our bikes around, we were running around trees. Now we're older children, so just know that right now. Know that things aren't going to go perfectly, but I think if you can embrace it, be really efficient and be proactive, in other words, it's a bifocal view on what you're doing now. But what am I going to need in 20 to 30 minutes? If you do that all day long and just keep it super simple because every person there, they want you to finish that race. That's their number one job. They don't want you to DNF, they want you to get across that finish line. So that's the first thing I would share. The second thing, it goes back to the mindset and the mental training. I think it's really a key component, is to be able to associate on what you're actually doing. If it's swimming, biking and running, you're focused on your stroke, you're focused on your cadence, you're focused on you're running, on your arm carriage. Other times you need to disassociate. Why would you say that? Because you need to let your mind wander and go to this happy place that you're totally distracting yourself. Then the time starts to go a lot quicker. So learn to associate and disassociate. And if you're focused on your pacing, you're focused on your nutrition, you're going to be successful. The other thing is, I know for sure based on my own experience and my education and exercise physiology, the key to the full IRONMAN is this underhand toss. Here we go. 1, 2, 3. Get to the 8 hour mark. Because once you can get to the 8 hour mark, your pain threshold will elevate at least 50%. So work your way up to that point. But things start to change after eight hours and like we often say, it really doesn't hurt that much more after eight hours. It kind of becomes very, very static. So I think knowing those things, when you go through that first one, it's going to be much more doable and manageable.

Vanessa Ronksley: I think that's fabulous Tip. Thank you so much for sharing that. I'm going to take note in a few weeks at what happens at eight hours and then I'm just going to go faster or something when I get to that eight hours. Now I think that there is something pretty special about hearing those words. When you finally cross that finish line, you are an IRONMAN. It's like all of the hours of training, the sacrifices that you've made leading up to that race, the challenges out on the race course, they all become worth it at that very moment. And I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but I know that crossing that first IRONMAN finish line changed something deep inside me. Like you said, Kurt, it's life altering. I became a new version of myself. And after that moment, my perspective on basically everything really did change. So I would love to know from each of you, if you were to talk to your closest friend or family member about the most important change that happened within you after you became an IRONMAN, what would you tell them?

Vanessa Ronksley: Jaco. Let's start with you.

Jaco Fourie: Definitely the biggest is knowing that you can do these things that you thought were not possible. Understanding that how strong your mind is and how much further it can get you physically. Although it's a mind thing, it's A difficult thing to understand or to explain to somebody if they haven't done something similar. It also helps, I think you understand why other people do things that you may be not interested in, some other things that they've got really got to set their minds to and you think, well, it's impossible. And then you relate it to kind of, well, I thought this thing was impossible that I did. I think that's the biggest lesson is your mind is so strong, you mustn't underestimate it.

Vanessa Ronksley: Love it. That's awesome. Louise, I'm throwing this one to you. What's the biggest change that happened to you inside after doing your first pull?

Louise Strydom: The biggest change I had is a newfound respect for myself and what my mind and my body is capable of. And then also for other athletes and, and of course for the race and in terms of other athletes. Everyone is on their own journey. They have their own why. And, and just being able to chat with athletes while you are on the run or seeing an athlete that is doing this, but he's an amputee, it gives you just a perspective of what is humanly possible. And I apply what I learn in racing. I really try to apply in my family life, my work life and I'm hoping that spills over to the athletes that I work with as well. So definitely there's a mind shift of just what, what is humanly possible.

Vanessa Ronksley: Very similar to, to what Jaco said. Thank you for sharing that, Heather. How, how about for you, what is the profound change that happened inside you after you crossed that finish line?

Heather Yun: Yeah, well, I mean, to co sign what both Jaco and Louise have said, I mean, just in the stories that we're able to tell about ourselves, you know, to draw upon life experiences when things get tough, just being able to add. Also, I'm a literal IRONMAN, you know, to when I have to talk myself into something or I'm in some kind of existential struggle, it's like, anyway, I'm an IRONMAN. What am I worried about? Having that little nugget there to draw upon is definitely interesting. But honestly, Vanessa, just to go back to the walk up question, you're talking about surprises. All of this really has been an astonishing surprise to me. I didn't identify as an athlete. I didn't grow up really thinking of myself as an athlete. I was this bookish kind of reader, Dr. Wannabe, and spent all of my younger years. Sure I was active, but I was really, that's not how I identified. So, you know, to be able to be Surprised by your own capabilities in your 40s when you thought your body was done with maybe good surprises, you know, there's more surprises to be had, I'm sure. But superpowers that your body was capable of in your mind all this time and you didn't even know it. Like, what a glorious thing to be able to unwrap in midlife and just be astonished by what your body was down for all this time. And what else can you do that you don't know about? I think that for me has been a revelation.

Vanessa Ronksley: One of the things that is so great about being able to, to see people accomplish these goals is that this is possible for anybody. Anybody can do this as long as they commit to it, which is a hard thing to do and commit to their training and be dedicated to their training and, and to have that mental ability to complete it. I think once you have that, like, you're capable. And I want everyone to know that, that they are absolutely 100% capable of doing what they set their mind to. And what you just said, Heather, is a massive testament to that. So thank you for sharing. Coach Kurt. I left you for last because I know you always have very profound, wonderful words of wisdom for all of us. So I'd love to hear what you have to say about how your first IRONMAN finish line changed the rest of your life.

Kurt Madden: Yeah, I mean, you teed this up beautifully. This is like a movie that we're getting to that rising action right now. And I know for sure the biggest investment any person can make in their entire life is to do 14 IRONMAN. It's always like, how can I invest in myself? And I would challenge our listeners to say, do an IRONMAN. You might say, why? Because it's going to be like a life insurance policy. It's going to give you things that you never imagined. We've talked about the grit, the determination, the perseverance, the things you're going to need for the rest of your life. I know what it did for me that it was in 1980, and I can remember two weeks later, I'm just working on my car, getting super frustrated, and I'm like, no, wait a minute. You just did a full IRONMAN. You're not going to quit on this. You're going to persevere. I'm in my education, like, wait a minute. I graduated from high school. I got an associate degree. I got a bachelor's degree. I will finish my thesis. I was bound and determined and stubborn, AKA Mad dog at times to do that. And it's almost like an insurance policy when you think about that because the rest of your life if you've done a full IRONMAN you are good to go. Nothing should catch you off guard and it's going to open up so many doors for you. It was beyond my wildest dreams that where this journey has taken me that all of a sudden I said two years later, hey, I'll do a three day IRONMAN called the Ultraman and I'll go all the way around the big island of Hawaii. Years later I'm in Colorado at 10,000ft and I look up on the mountain say I'm going to run 100 miles and starting at 10,000ft. It was the inner confidence that I had to say no, I am going to do this whatever it takes. I wasn't super confident but confident enough that I would do that. I look at my professional career, I was a high school assistant principal and principal for 20 years. When you get to a high school at 6:30 in the morning and on a Friday and you're there till 12 o' clock at night with a football game and every thing else, I think that's 17 hours. You know what I did? I did the math. I did an IRONMAN every Friday night for over 20 years. I think that's over 200 IRONMANs right there. People are like where did you get all your stamina? I think it went back to that very first IRONMAN. That was a lifelong lesson. So whatever you do in your life it will be incredible in the view and perspective you have. You just have a different mindset when you sit at the table, when you're going through challenging situations if it's Covid your life, finances and knowing that we are better together. So in my perfect world I would have a foundation to give every single person on this planet a free entry to an IRONMAN and then your life would be fulfilled without a doubt.

Cool Down

Vanessa Ronksley: Welcome to the cool down everybody. We have a question here from one of our longtime podcast listeners, an ambassador extraordinaire, a try not coach and one of the happiest people that I know, his name is Chad Rolfs. Chad is asking how do I execute a TriDot swim workout designed for pool swimming like sets as an open water swim and get a good train X score. Louise, what do you what do you have to say?

Louise Strydom: Okay Chad, I'm hoping that you listen to this one so there's a couple of ways that you can or that I how I would approach it. So if you are, you know, if you're linked with a coach, chat to your coach and ask if they can change it to a aerobic swim. Because obviously doing sets within a, within an open water setting is really difficult. That would be the one thing your coach will be live can edit the session accordingly. And then any type of open water swim is good practice. So I would also never tell an athlete to say, say no, stick to the pool. You can get open water training in. Please go for it. If you don't have a coach, I would recommend looking at the workout and calculate the distance that you need to swim and whether it does include intervals. So intervals can be simulated by accelerations during the open water swim. If you know your stroke count for 25 meters or 50 meters or yards, then you can use that as a guide on how long you need to keep up that acceleration to get that faster interval pace. And if you contract your pace or you are unsure of your stroke around, include some accelerations based on your RPE or your rate of perceived exhaust to get in those accelerations. The second part of getting a really good TrainX score, if you don't, if you don't adjust the session or you know, you can't get a really good TrainX score if you switch from a pool session to an open water session, always just keep in mind that any open water swim training is, is good exercise. It's good to be in your wetsuit, it's good to be in open water. So even if the TrainX score is slightly lower than you would ideally want. Focus on the positives. You actually got to be in open water.

Vanessa Ronksley: Kurt, throwing it over to you, what would you say?

Kurt Madden: Thank you so much. Yeah, Coach Chad and all of our listeners, great question. And the way I would kind of again tee this up is when you think of a pool, it's like being on a trainer. It's a very controlled environment. You're going back and forth with a black line. Open water is like riding a bike. Outside you have more variables to kind of look at to get the best score possible. There's a couple things that a coach and athlete should think about. First of all, think about the swim venue. Open water can mean an awful lot. Is it a river, is it a lake, is it the ocean? Ideally you're in a controlled environment because that way you're not going to have currents and tides to deal with. And early in the day, that's the other thing because it's typically flatter. Also try to determine am I going to get a good GPS signal where I am. There's some places you just don't pick up a good signal. Like Louise said, though, what I find it should be an aerobic swim. There's two sessions that I would propose. I would do a 4 by 500 because with your watch you know when you're at 500 yards and it's at RP stroke rate rhythm, stroke rate rhythm. Also know you have a wetsuit on probably so you're going to be going 7 to 10 seconds faster. Let the wetsuit do the work. The other good workout I like is just like a ladder. Do like 100, 200. 300. 400. 500, 600 and work your way back down. But there are true benefits of getting into open water if your train X score suffers a little bit. The bigger takeaway though is that specificity to race day because you're not going to race in a pool, you're going to race into open water. But I have learned if you can find that venue early in the day, the water's nice and flat. 4x500 and or a ladder. Those are the things that I would suggest.

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